(REUTERS). Top diplomats from Asia, Europe and North America gathered on Thursday (July 23) for the security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, where ministers were expected to issue calls for a peaceful settlement after renewed and intensifying hostilities in the Middle East.
The war in Iran has been a key talking point in the gathering hosted by the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a region with a combined gross domestic product of about $3.8 trillion that is heavily reliant on Middle East oil and particularly exposed to the fallout, which has stoked inflation around the world.
"The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation," China's Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying said in opening remarks at a forum on Thursday between ASEAN, Japan, South Korea and China.
"The situation in the Middle East has spilled over into energy and food supply chains, and security and resilience have been disrupted ... demand for maintaining peace and stability has become more urgent," she said.
Posted by: Alma Angeles/NET25 News
